In the year 2054, Tom Cruise’s
police chief in “Minority
Report” does his work standing
before a large screen, using hand
gestures to investigate murders
before the homicides even happen. While tech advancements
don’t yet allow for crimes to be
foreseen, the way that Cruise’s
character uses simple movements to interact with images on
a screen now exists—with augmented reality (AR). The technology is showing up in headsets and smartglasses and is even
being tested in a contact lens,
which would make AR invisible
and could render it as ubiquitous as the smartphone. Experts
say AR is poised to bring dramatic changes to everyday life,
including in the workplace, with
the potential to significantly
improve workers’ productivity, enhance employee training
and make worksites safer. It might even offer a solution to one
of the most pressing HR challenges of these times: closing the
skills gap.

Anyone acquainted with the 2016 gaming craze Pokémon
Go already understands how AR works. When players aim their
smartphone camera at their surroundings, cartoon images of
colorful characters unpredictably pop into view, waiting to be
“caught” among the real-world landscape.

But AR isn’t just for fun and games. “In the last couple of
years, there has definitely been a shift toward developing AR
devices and applications for the workplace,” says Tony Liao, an
assistant professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati who researches AR.

Though the technology dates back to the mid-1990s, thereweren’t many practical uses for it for decades. “What’s differentnow is it’s no longer just a lot of AR evangelists,” says Jay Kim,chief strategy officer of Upskill, which makes industrial AR apps.“There’s real market presence by the most innovative companiesin the world: Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google.”For those who fear a takeover of the workplace by machines,know that AR is intended to be an ally, not a threat. By strappingon an AR headset or wielding an AR-outfitted tablet or phone,workers can unveil new powers, like super speed, heat-sensing,X-ray vision and the ability to beam up experts instantly. Ratherthan replacing workers, AR expands on human potential, allow-ing people and machines to function better together than eithercould alone.

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The Business of Augmented Reality
AR Headsets Shipped
Analysts’ Predicted Worldwide Revenues for AR and VR

2016

2017

162,458 (110,512 for commercial use and 51,946 for consumer use)

24. 5 million estimated (including more than 20 million for commercial purposes)

Source: International Data Corporation.

$14 billion$143 billion

2021

2020

An Agco employee uses AR to view an
instructional image of a task that needs to be
performed on a tractor’s hydraulic valve stack.